Sparky
Long-haired Dachshund. Lymed Dog-vest in use since 2019
We decided to try Lymed Dog garments for our Sparky to try to treat his separation anxiety. He’s suffered from it for a long time now. Sparky used to bark for hours on end when left alone: he also was very restless and kept running around the house trying to find out where we went. We’ve gone through it all to ease the situation: we’ve tried everything from dog trainers’ relaxation techniques to anxiety medication. We’ve also tried other standard-sized pressure vests that are available in the market. Nothing has helped Sparky.
We didn’t want to give up, so we decided to try Lymed Dog vest, too, hoping to achieve something. Sparky didn’t mind the vest at all – he did not try to take it off. On the first use he even fell asleep with it on! We don’t want to jinx it, but he seems to be doing better.
Nowadays, when we leave the house, we put the vest on. When we walk away, he watches us through the window – quietly. Before he barked at us when we would start to put our shoes on. When we came back, we’d find him waiting for us right behind the front door. Now when we return home, we find a sleepy-faced Sparky coming in from another room, greeting us calmly – not barking at all! Sparky doesn’t bark alone anymore. We’re not saying everything is perfect now because, from time to time, when Sparky’s awake and we’re coming home, he comes to the window barking, trying to greet us. I think that this has happened when my husband has dressed him in a hurry leaving some of the vest undone…
Regardless, as always with dogs, we have both good and bad days. You just must remember that it takes time to take in new situations and behaviors!
Yoko
6 year old, Australian Shepherd bitch, Lymed Dog garments in use since summer of 2015
Yoko has stressed loud noises and stranger’s talking her all life. The behavior got worse when she was sterilized in 2013. Stress behavior and barking would be triggered when strangers came into another room that Yoko was in, or when she heard doors closing or people talking outside of the house. Yoko stayed in a stressful mindset for a long period of time and then even the littlest sound made her bark. During thunder and New Year’s Yoko got worse. She went to hide and panted heavily. She even sometimes peed herself and had a great need to be very close to her owner.
Yoko tried her first pressure garment at Lymed, Tampere. Yoko’s reaction to it surprised me. Yoko was wearing the garment for about 15 minutes when she calmed down and came to be next to my feet in completely unfamiliar surroundings. After a little while Yoko got her own garment and I started the accustomization process. She clearly felt something during her first times. She rubbed herself against the walls and spasmed out a bit. After the garment had ”set itself” on Yoko, she calmed down.
After several uses Yoko can clearly utilize the garment better. She still spasms out and rolls over and around the first few minutes when she’s dressed. Yoko is so calm with the garment that she no longer pays attention to things that used to scare her. Yoko is never tired when she has the garment on.
Nowadays the garment is used on Yoko during thunder. She has stopped reacting to the thunder in the way she did before. She will lift her head when she hears it, but she doesn’t pant, pee inside or show signs of extreme stress. She can even go outside to pee in a small, contained area. Yoko’s garment is also used to observe her and her reactions. Yoko moves better with the garment and it seems that it eases her existence.